Ironing machine



Nov. 29, 1927. 1,650,828

P. E. GELDHOF IRONNG MACHINE Filed Jan. 19. 1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l "ery Nov. 29, 1927.

P. E. GELDHOF IRONING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Wsw Filed Jan. 19. 1926 RIVEYS 24"/ rlvsss I Nov. 29, 1927. 1,650,828

l 4 P. E. GELDHOF IRONING MACHINE -Filed Jan. 19. 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 e @g @waff )WT .svs By /7 TMR/Veys Patented Nov. 29, 1927.

UNITED STATES PETER E. GELDHOF, OF SYRACUSE, NEW' PATENT OFFICE.

YORK, ASSIGNOR TO SYRACUSE WASHING YORK.. i

IRONING Application filed January rThis invention relates to ironing machines in which a heated ironing shoe or pressing element is supported in pressing relation to a power driven rotary feed roll for feeding the articles to be ironed transversely across the tace of the Vheated pressing element but it will be evident that both the feeding element Iand ironing element may be used for some purposes without rotating the feedl ing element.

The broad object of the invention is to incorpoii'ate the motive power for rotating the feed roll wholly within said feed roll where it is concealed from view and protested from the elements and enables the machine tobe made in a more compact forni than has heretofore been'plactised.

Another object is to provide for the circulation of air through the feeding element for coolingthe motor andrbearings for the feed roller.

A, further object is to provide the ironing element with an 'electric heater extending substantially the entire length thereoil so -5 as to establish uniform heat at all portions of the ironing surface.

Another object is to provide a more conveniei'it andv efficient means for moving the ironing element toward andv from the feed roller and at the san'ie time to enable said ironing clement to yield in difl'erent directions under pressure of varying thicknesses of articles to be ironed at different points along the contact surfaces of the roller and ironing element.

Other objects and usesrelating to specific parts will be brought out in the following description. i i

in the drawings; n l

`Figure l is a top plan of an ironing machine embodying the various features of my invention, i c n Figure 2 is an enlarged end View, partly in section, of the same machine taken in the plane of line` 2 2, Figure 3. o

Figure 3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view (enlarged) taken online 3-8, Figure l.

Figure 1i is an enlarged transverse vertical MACHINE.

19, 1926. Serial No. 82,252.

sectional view taken in the 4%, Figure 3. n

Figure 5 is a diagrammatic view of the electric heater-and motor circuits. showing the thermostatic switch for controlling the plane of line heating circuit. o Y

As illustrated, this machine is adapted to be used'more particularly for ironing small articles and for this purpose is made easilyv portable and adapted to be placed upon a table or other available supportV in the laundry or kitchen when in use or may' be stored in compact space out of the way when not in use. i

It consists of a substantially flat rectanguiar base lelongated in one direction and-carrying at one end a hollow upright bracket ---2-- rigid therewith, the base --1- being` provided in its lower side with a lengthwise chamber 3* for receiving certain parts of the operating mechanism ironing shoe, presently described. Y

The upper portion of the bracket W2 is provided with a hollow base or hub 4H and an annular' flange --5n projecting inwardly from the outer end of the bracket in concentric relation, the major portion of the flange -'5- being arranged in spaced relation to the hub ai to form an intervening air chamber -6 which communicates with the atmosphere through one or more openings J7- The iiange 5- is somewhat conical and flared inwardly from its outer end and is connected to the hub -iby webs -8- arranged in `circumferentially spaced relation to allow circulation of air between them.

The hub -4- is provided with a cylindrical socket 9* extending from its innerend the major portion .of the Alength thereof for receiving and supporting one end of acylindrical tubular shaft f-lOM which is co-aXial with the 'axis of the hub f-fli and flange ,5.

The outer end of the socket -9-- is slightly reduced in diameter to form an abutting shoulder for the adjacent end of the tube 10- but is normally closed by a cap or washer .ll'-, i iv'ure 3.

The outer end of the shaft 10 is tightly fitted in the hub dand is, therefore7 stationary and extends from said hub toward the opposite end of the frame a distance sufficiently less than the length of the frame to permit the motor power to be installed within the feed roll b etween the in ner end of the tube and the corresponding end of said feed roll as will be heretofore more fully explained'.

A pair of sleeves or -12-- and -12- are secured by set screws -13- to and upon the periphery of the,

stationary tubular shaft lin longitudinallyy spaced relatiomone of said bearings as f-l2- being located near the inner end of the hub K-t-V- while the other bearing is locatedY near the inner end of the tubular shaftj A feed roller leiis provided with suit-- able bearings n15e journaled upon the periphery of the bearing members -12- and-12gconcentric with the tubular shaft l0-e, said feed roller ld-- beingextended from the inner end of the iiange f1-- approximately the entire length of the remaining'portion of the frame or base land some distance beyond the inner end of the tubular shaft -lO-.

The interior diameter of the cylinder is considerably greater than the external diameter of the shaft -lO- to allow ample space for the circulation of air through the feed `roll from end to end thereof` said feed Lie rollg being reenforcedy substantially midway between the bearings by an annular ring #16- secuned to the inner periphery there,- o l. Y

Asillustrated, the. feed roller comprises an inner;l tube. 1T- of light but rigid metal and;` ang outer covering--187- of one or more thicknesses to form acylindrical pad extending from end to endy of the inner shell '1n-lie flangeA f on the upper' end of the bracket M2- extends a. relatively short distance into the adjacentk end of the feed roll 14ein close proximity to the inner peripheral surface of the tubular shell 1T- to form a guard lfor preventing the entrance of portions of thearticlres operated upon and other externalr objects into the adjacent end of the feed? roll and also to impart a more pleasing appearanceto that portion of the machine. i

Mott/ve power.

As previously stated the feed roller 14M extendssome distance beyond the inner end of the tubular shaft l0- fory receiving the motor power for rotating the feed roller which motive power comprises a-n electric motor 19- mounted on one end of a gear casey -20- co-axial with the axis of the bearing members;

feed roller '-14--- The other end of the gear case is tightly secured to and within the inner end of the stationary vtubular shaft by means of a clamping bolt 2lwhich extends centrally through the tubular shaftf-lO* and has its inner end threaded and engaged with a threaded aperture in the adjacent end of the gear case and its out-er end" engaged with the cap or washer' -11-, Figure 3", thus permitting the motor and gear case to be removed or replacedl endwise through the adjacent end of the feed roll by simply loosening or tightening the clamping bolt'-"21-.

A cap plate 22'- is inserted in the end ofthe feed roll M14-,- at the outer end of the motor -l9. and isl frictionally held inA place by springk members -Q3 so that it may be removed when it is desired to remove the motor and gear case as a unit.

The armature shaft of the motor 19,-- is journaled in the outer end of the gear case -20- and is provided with a worm, Q4- meshing with a worm gear M-V which is secured to a cross shaft 2G- the latter being journaled in opposite walls of the gear case -20 This cross .shaft is also provided with a tight pinion 27- meshing with gear -28- on another cross shaft -29 which is journaled in. one side of the gear case *20-f radial. to the axis ofv the armature shaft and at the. inner end of the worm -24-. i

This cross shaft 529- is provided with a. pinion V30- meshing with a crown gear ring ,-l-which is secured to the outer end` face of the adjacent bearing -lfof theF feed roll concentric with the axis thereof.

A. suitable fan -32 is secured to the armature shaft of the motor between the outer end of the gear case -20- and armature for circulating air through openings V-33- in the peripheral walls of the motor case to prevent overheating of the motor and other parts inclosed within the feed roll 14-3 the end partition bearings -15- being provided with openings therethrough to permit the circulation of air from the openings -7,- through the feed. roller from end to end thereof.

The electric motor *19* is connected by a cable 34V- to anv electric circuit 35- deriving current from any available source of electric energy not shown, the motor circuit being provided with a switch 36- for controlling the operation of themotor, said switch being preferably mounted on the bracket J2- of the main supporting frame where it is most convenient for the operator.

The cable 34eis preferably extended through suitable openings in the gear case 20- and also through the tubular shaft An ironing shoe 37 extends lengthwise of and beneath the feed roll M the enn suitable bearings 48 tire length thereof and is yieldingly supported at both ends upon a pair o f vertically movable arms 38- extending transversely thereof and having their rear ends pivoted at 39 to a pairl of brackets 40 which are secured to ythe base 1 near the ends of the base, said ironing shoev being pro` vided near its ends with forwardly project ing brackets M upon which is mounted a feeding` table or shelf 4t2 across which the articles to be ironed are fed between the adjacent surfaces of the feed roller 14,- and ironing shoe 37 The opposite ends of the ironing shoe are yieldingly supported. upon the rearwardly projecting arms 38 through the medium' kat the front and rear of the longitudinal cal guide slots 4lfor receiving guide pins 1l5 on the.' adjacent ends of the ironing` shoe, said slots and pins being preferably located in the vertical plane of the asis of the feed roll M for guiding the ironing shoe in its vertical movements and holding it against forward or rearward displacement relatively to the feed roll and the supporting arms B8- The iiitermediate portions ofthe arms 38 are yieldingly supported upon the brackets 4() by means of coiled springs en which assist. in returning the arms 38 and parts carried thereby upwardly after being depressed in a mannery hereinafter described. l

rock shaft 4T- extends lengthwise of and within the chamber 3 inthe base 1 and has its opposite ends journaled in on said base and provided with a pair of crank arms 49 which, in turn, are pivoted at 50 to a pair of bell crank levers 51 These levers l are pivoted at 52 to the front ends of the arms B8 Figure Q, and together with the "crank arms 4-9 constitute toggle connection between Y the arms 38 and rock shaft 47- for raising and lowering of the shoe 3T toward and from the underside of the feed roller l4 The upper face of the ironing shoe is concaved transversely. to conform to the transverse curvature of the periphery of the feed roller M and is preferably smooth for imparting the desired finish to the work operated upon.

The levers 5l entend forwardly some distance beyond the front ends of the arms 38 and preferably between the upper face of the base 1 and feed table Q for convenience of operation and are provided at their front ends witl handles 51 by which they may be operated for raising and lowering the ironing` shoe to- *ard and from the Afeed roller.,

Electric lzeater.

rlhe central portion of the underside of the ironing shoe 37 is provided with a lengthwise recess 3 throughout the major portion of its length for receiving an electric heater 54- which is held in place by insulating plates 5 and is connected. by wires --56 to the main line circuit the heater circuit being controlled by a switch 57 Figure 5. i

A thermostatic switch 58 connected in the heater circuit in series with the heater 5lfor automatically controlling, the heat of the ironing shoe 3T- and for this jnirposeis secured to the ironing 'shoe pret erably. near the front thereof as shown in Figure Ll.

A protective hoodf 5$) of asbestos or equivalent non-heat-conducting material is secured by screws 60 to the underside of vthe .ironing shoe BZ- to extend across the Operation.

Wvhen it is desired to use the machine for ironing purposes the heater switch 57 is first closed to. direct the` current through the heater coil M and thermostatic switch 58 which,y in a relatively short period of time, heats `the iron 37- to the requiredv temperature whereupon the electric switch 36- may be closed to cause the operation of the motor l9 and resultant rotation of the feed roller le through the rnedium of the gear train between the worm 24- and gear ring 3l i @ne or the other or both of thelevers -51- are then Voperated at will to move the ironing shoe against the underside of the 'feed roll 1%'or from the position indicated by dotted lines tothe position indicated by full lines in Figure EL rlhis operation of the lever-s 51- causes a straightening of the Itoggles and consequent locking of the arms .-38- in their elevated positions to yieldingly hold the iron against the underside of the feed roll through the medium-of the springs -Ji-Sw, The articles Ato be ironed are then fed across the table -l-2 between the contiguous faces of the ironing shoe and feed roll and are carried downwardly and rearwardly by the rotation of said feed roll in the .direction indicated by arrow Figure t.

rlhis feeding of the articles between the ironing shoe and feed roll causes more or less depression of the ironingshoe against the action of the springs --l without affecting the position of the arms 38- but if different portions of the articles or different articles are of unequal thickness at different points of Contact of the feed roll and ironing shoe, said ironing snoe wii'l be free to yield longitudinallya or transversely to compensate `for such varying` thickness.

n case vthe ironing shoe should become heated above a safe temperature the thermostatic switch -58- will automatically open to break the heater circuit but willv also automatically close as soon as the temperature of the iron drops below .the working temperature.

if, for any reason, itis desired to withdraw the ironing shoe from the feed roller as, for example, when the machine is not in use, the levers -`-`5l-- maybe rocked upwardly to the position indicated bygdotted lines in VFigure 2 thereby effecting a downward movement of the arms S8- and ironing shoe Icarried thereby against the action of the .springs 446-, the tension of which is just sufficient to partially support the arms 38 and parts carried thereby without forcing them to their operating positions but merel to assist the raisin@ of those parts by the levers -"-5land also to prevent shock to those part-s when released from their operative positions.

During the operation of the motor the rotation of `'the fan -32- causes a circulation of air lengthwise through the feed roller and around the gear case, motor and bearings for the feed roll to prevent overheating of those parts.`

rllhe mechanism described is particularly simple, compact `and highly elicient but it is evident that various changes may be made in the detailed construction without .departing from the spirit of the invention and, therefore, l do not wish to limit myself to the eXact construction shown and described.

lVhat I claim is:

vLeanser 1. In an ironing machine of the character described, a feed roller, an ironing shoe cooperating therewith, a relativelystationary shaft co-axial with the roller and upon which said roller Ais journaled, means including an electric motor carried by said shaft within .the feed roller, and means extending through the haft for clamping the motor thereto.

2. In an ironing machine of the character described,` a main supporting base, larms pivetally mounted upon .the base for vertical rocking movement, yielding connections between said arms and base, an ironing shoe yi'eldingly mounted -upon `said arms, andv a `feed rolier rotatably .supported .above the ironing shoe.

3. in an :ironing 'machine of the character described, a supporting base, a feed roll, an ironing shoe, a swinging support for the ironing shoe, yielding connections between the swinging support and base, lmeans including a toggle operable at will for moving the support and ironing shoe toward and from lthe feed roll, and yielding connections between the ironing shoe and the swinging support.v y Y fl. In an ironing machine of the character described, a base having a chamber in its underside, a rock shaft journaled on the base within said chamber, a swinging support hinged to the base, toggle connections between the rock shaft and the swinging support and operable at will for moving said swinging support in opposite directions, an ironing shoe yieldingly mounted on the swinging support, and a feed roll cooperating with the ironing shoe.

5. 2in an ironing machine, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, means for heating one of said elements, a swinging support for the heated element, yielding connections 'between the heated element and swinging support, a main supporting base, yielding connections between the swinging support and base, and means including a toggle operable at will for moving said swingving support and the heated element toward and from the other pressing element.

(i. AIn an ironing machine of the character described, a main supporting frame, cooperative horizontal pressing elements, one above the other, the upper pressing element being mounted on the frame, a swinging support for the lower pressing element hinged to the frame, means including a toggle oper lble at will for `rocking said swingingy support, and yielding connections between the lower pressing element and the swinging support.

7. In an ironing machine, a stationary shaft, means for supporting` the shaft at one end only, a feed roller journa'led lon the shaft 'beyond said supporting means, an ironing shoe cooperating with the roller, and means mounted on the other end of the shaft for rotating the roller.

8. An ironing machine as in claim 7 in which the roller is provided with an interior chamber and the means for rotating the roller is arranged Within said chamber.

9. In an ironing machine having an ironing shoe, and means for feeding the material to be ironed across the surface of said shoe in combination With a lever hinged to swing toward and from the feeding means, and spring-pressed toward saidfeeding means, and resilient connections between said lever and ironing shoe.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of January, 1926.

PETER E. GELDHOF. 

